They would ask me what actors I saw in the roles. I would tell them, and they’d say “Oh that’s interesting.” And that would be the end of it.
--Elmore Leonard, in 2000, on the extent of his input for Hollywood's adaptation of his novels

Tuesday, August 26, 2008

Kim Green's "Live a Little"

Should Live a Little be adapted for the big screen, here are the author's choices for director and cast:

I've been told my books are filmic – and not just by my mother – so some small, delusional part of me is thrilled to state my casting preferences here. (I suspect that "filmic" in this case means "not dense." Whatever – I'll take it.)

There are several options as to who will direct. If the gods smile on me, Nicole Holofcener will put down whatever deceptively straightforward script she's into and take the helm of Live a Little: The Movie. Nora Ephron would also thrill. And if Wes Anderson or Michael Patrick King want to chat, here's my phone number…. I couldn't go wrong with Drew Barrymore producing (though I might get a different director).

Who to play my heroine, abrasive, lying, fortysomething artist cum disgruntled housewife Raquel Rose? Goldie Hawn in a dark wig…or Geena Davis. If Jane Kaczmarek can make the jump to the big screen, yes. Still not fully satisfied with my picks here. Actually, first choice: Catherine Keener.

“Compared to a novel, a film is like an economy pizza where there are no olives, no ham, no anchovies, no mushrooms, and all you’ve got is the dough.”
--Louis de Bernières, author of Captain Corelli’s Mandolin